Are You A Pokemon Geek? Name The Original 151

The video gaming community is one that is highly divisive on numerous issues, which is ridiculous when you think about it. It means that to be a fan of video games, you not only have to contend with the judgment of those outside of the community, you also have to argue against those within it. However, rather than trying to explain to your friends that you play games because they're art, you're arguing over which video game character is better.

One of the most divisive issues is the concept of Pokemon going way too far with its ever growing roster of ridiculous Pokemon. To be honest, it's not surprising that once you're heading towards 720 different variations of animal, you're going to start running out of ideas. I mean, there's only so many puns you can make before they start getting stale. The Pokemon roster is proof of that if nothing else.

Are you a vintage Pokemon fan? Do you think you know everything there is to know about Red and Blue? Maybe it's time you put your money where your mouth is and see if you can answer some simple questions. All you have to tell me is which Pokemon I'm showing you. Pretty easy right? Yeah, we'll see...

Question 1

Who is this?

Jigglypuff
Lickitung
Hitmonlee
Hypno

Another franchise favorite, nobody who has even glanced at Pokemon in the past can claim not to know who this little annoying ball of pink is. Despite having one of the most annoying songs in pop culture history, there's something so unrelentingly cute about this Pokemon that I find very difficult to handle. Don't ask me why, but things that are portrayed as being this sweet always leads to me cringing rather than smiling. Is there anyone else out there that agrees?

Question 2

Who is this?

Charizard
Charmander
Blastoise
Charmeleon

Beyond Pikachu, this guy is probably the most iconic Pokemon from the entire series. You'd be hard pressed to find someone of a certain generation who didn't at least recognize this picture. They may not know the name, but they definitely know the image. This guy is so prolific that he has appeared in many different games, not just Pokemon.

Question 3

Who is this?

Pikachu
Mew
Ditto
Mewtwo

Did you, like me, fall for the rumor that you could actually catch this guy in Blue and Red? I was so damaged by the falsehood that I didn't believe my friends when they told me about Missingno. I wasn't about to be fooled again! It wasn't until an old friend actually showed me the error Missingno that I then believed it. I believe, if you catch it, it can mess up your game, but I don't know if that's true. None of us ever plucked up the courage to do it ourselves.

Question 4

Who is this?

Omanyte
Snorlax
Porygon
Meowth

? I always thought it was weird, and I'm sure it must have been resolved at some point, but it always felt like it came out of nowhere. If I'm not mistaken, the only other Pokemon that has managed to master human speech is Mewtwo, and he's regarded as an almost superhuman being.

Question 5

Who is this?

Pikachu
Slowbro
Snorlax
Dodrio

Of all the Pokemon designs, I love this guy the most. He's essentially an animal based on the concept of overeating and sleeping it off. Honestly, I would make sure I caught this guy every single time I came up to him during the early Pokemon games. The fact that he attacks you because you woke him up also speaks to me. I’ve attacked people for much less than that, and I am not an animal in a fictional game.

Question 6

Who is this?

Raichu
Pikachu
Ditto
Electabuzz

Did anybody else think it was messed up that Ash never let his Pikachu evolve? Plus, how does he know that the Pikachu doesn't want to evolve? It seems pretty presumptuous to just assume that what you want is exactly what the Pokemon you've forced into slavery want as well. Maybe you should go with what the Pokemon want to do, what with it being their body and everything.

Question 7

Who is this?

Pikachu
Kakuna
Sandslash
Dragonite

Of all the mythical beings that Pokemon could've chosen, I'm glad that they went for the dragon. They use the imagery of the mythical beast quite regularly and it works really well. Sure, they could've gone for the unicorn or something, but there's nothing mightier and more imposing than the dragon.

Question 8

Who is this?

Jolteon
Machamp
Kabuto
Machop

Can we also get into the fact that some people in this world probably wouldn't trade back either? I mean, kids are essentially the worst type of human being and it's not as if parents are going to care that Timmy stole your Machamp, are they?

Question 9

Who is this?

Charmander
Ivysaur
Pikachu
Bulbasaur

I usually went for the Grass or Water type Pokemon in the later games as well. They always just appealed to me as a kid, but I don't know why. I feel like they put a lot more effort into those than they did Charmander. That being said, Charizard was well worth the wait. If I were to go back and play the games now, I’d definitely pick Squirtle.

Question 10

Who is this?

Venonat
Bulbasaur
Psyduck
Squirtle

This guy followed me throughout a lot of my childhood. Seriously, I played through the early Pokemon games so many times and most times this guy was my first choice. Not only is he incredibly cute, but he has the ability to become a strong little guy. Plus, his final evolution is fantastic. He turns into a giant turtle with massive water cannons jutting from his shell. Who wouldn’t want one of those things in a ball on your belt? You’d never lose a fight again.

Question 11

Who is this?

Alakazam
Abba
Ditto
Jynx

It’s good to know that these developers put a lot of thought into these characters designs. Now, they just draw an ice cream with a face and call it a Pokemon. Why bother putting in the work when you know that people are going to buy it anyway?

Question 12

Who is this?

Machop
Arbok
Mew
Ekans

Now we've got a perfect example of the game developers putting in a little less effort than I'd hope they would. It doesn't help that he's an evolution of a Pokemon with just as ridiculous a name. You think you'd at least put the effort into one of them, you know? There’s only so much laziness you can get away with.

Question 13

Who is this?

Zapdos
Beedrill
Squirtle
Metapod

This is probably one of the most obvious answers in the entire quiz. Either this thing has a name about being a wasp, a hornet, or a bee, so it's pretty obvious which one is the correct answer just based on the picture. If you got this one wrong, I imagine you won’t be doing too well on this quiz. Maybe you’ve spent too much time with the new generations of Pokemon to remember the original 151? Time to go back to the old games!

Question 14

Who is this?

Weedle
Machop
Doduo
Ratata

So, this guy is clearly based on an ostrich, which I can get behind because those are weird animals, to begin with. Sure, they don't have two heads in real life, but that doesn't mean they aren't weirdly proportioned. Plus, they can run at insane speeds and lay massive eggs. They're also pretty dangerous animals as well. You wouldn’t think that an ostrich would pose you any real danger, but they do. Sort of the same with Hippos. They look big and stupid, but they'll kill you.

Question 15

Who is this?

Dugtrio
Graveler
Diglett
Mankey

I, like many others, have never really understood how this Pokemon works. Is it just three Diglett Pokemon? If so, how is this evolution? Would it die? These are all questions that the Pokemon series should’ve answered immediately.

Question 16

Who is this?

Golem
Ponyta
Geodude
Grimer

Another example of only getting the joke once I'd got older, this guy's name is a play on words that makes reference to him being a rock. If you don't get it, look up what a geode is and then come back for the rest of the quiz. I always remember thinking that he had a really cool design and usually caught one, but never really got into evolving him. You needed to trade him to get the final evolution and I was playing Pokemon so I obviously had no friends.

Question 17

Who is this?

Seel
Golduck
Onix
Drowzee

He is, by far, one of the most overlooked Pokemon in the entirety of the game's history. Along with Hypno, I reckon that these two could make or break an entire team of Pokemon. Seriously, if you ever go back and play some old Pokemon games, make sure you grab a Psyduck and a Drowzee. When they eventually evolve, you will not be disappointed. Seriously, I know how the old games work, and I was always surprised to learn that nobody caught a Drowzee and a Psyduck.

Question 18

Who is this?

Seel
Gastly
Cubone
Golem

Here he is, one of the handful of Pokemon that I was never able to obtain because I was unable to trade between my own Gameboy and anyone else's. Who wouldn't want a rock turtle man to round off their main party in Pokemon? This guy and Gengar always looked so cool but I never got a chance to train either of them as a child. I'm not bitter about it anymore, but at the time it always soured my playthrough.

Question 19

Who is this?

Arbok
Ekans
Koffing
Marowak

Sometimes they really put no effort in. At least with a Pokemon character like Koffing and Weezing, there was some wordplay involved. With Ekans and Arbok they just swapped the letters round and hoped that would be enough! I would be interested to know what the process was for naming all 151 of the original Pokemon actually. I reckon that’s a weird little story.

Question 20

Who is this?

Voltorb
Krabby
Kingler
Kabuto

Believe it or not, but this fossil Pokemon can actually be found in real life. While it's obviously not the actual Pokemon, he is based on the living fossil, the Horseshoe crab. Go take a look at one in action right now and I'll wait here because watching that thing move about really freaks me out. They actually look kind of cute when they're just scuttling along, but as soon as they're turned over you realize the nightmare that lies in wait beneath.

Question 21

Who is this?

Chansey
Rhydon
Starmie
Kangaskhan

Does this seem a little bit sexist to anyone else? Not only are their animals in the world that have the male carry the baby, it's not like the baby is being birthed from the pouch. It's just spending its youthful years in there. A man with a pouch could hold a baby just as easily as a woman could.

Question 22

Who is this?

Magneton
Horsea
Magnemite
Golem

While I know that there are many people who like this Pokemon, I have to say that I think we're looking at one of the blandest Pokemon designs of all time. What even is it? There's nothing I like about this guy, and when I got to a stage in the game where these guys could take out one of my dearest Pokemon with a one-shot explosion, I always wished I could've killed them rather than just make them faint. I was a very angry child.

Question 23

Who is this?

Magmar
Gyrados
Mankey
Ditto

I loved this guy! Every single playthrough, he's made it into my starting six. I think if I'd been born into the Pokemon universe, this little guy would've been my version of Ash's Pikachu. I would've taken him everywhere, and let him stay out of a Pokeball as well if he wanted. That being said, I definitely would've allowed him to evolve, because that's what good friends do Ash! They don't just make them stay exactly how they are and never grow!

Question 24

Who is this?

Scyther
Tentacool
Jynx
Magmar

While I always wanted to catch one of these guys when I played the older games, I always found myself being highly disappointed with how they developed. Sure, they evolved into this huge jellyfish which is pretty badass, but their moves always seemed rubbish. Sadly, while I found the design really interesting when I was a child, these guys never made it into my team.

Question 25

Who is this?

Lapras
Eevee
Onix
Pidgey

. We flew everywhere, all over Kanto, destroying Team Rocket, getting every badge and eventually facing off against the Elite Four. It's vivid memories like that which keep people going back to video games in their later years. They're hoping to recapture the magic.

Question 26

Who is this?

Nidoran
Tauros
Pikachu
Raticate

I think anyone who has played either the Blue or Red versions of Pokemon has caught this at some point. They're right at the beginning of the game when you're naive to how many Pokemon you're actually going to come across throughout your adventure. However, I doubt many held onto the guy long enough to build them into a Raticate.

Question 27

Who is this?

Caterpie
Metapod
Kabutops
Aerodactyl

This guy is clearly a cocoon, if it wasn't already obvious. Unsurprisingly, this guy comes between two evolutions. A caterpillar turned into a butterfly and went through this stage in between. Seriously, that is some smart design from the Pokemon design team. It's also another example of the Grass-type Pokemon absolutely owning it. Why is it that these guys got way more thought put into them than the other types I wonder? Maybe there were some avid botanists on the design team.

Question 28

Who is this?

Nidoqueen
Dratini
Persian
Psyduck

I remember having my mind blown when I found out that both the male and female forms of Nidoran had different evolutions. Now, that is pretty tame when it comes to video games, but at the time I was young and video games were nowhere near as sophisticated as they are now. The medium of video games can only get better if you ask me, so I look forward to finding the impressive stuff boring in the future. VR is going to make stuff crazy.

Question 29

Who is this?

Oddish
Growlithe
Abra
Poliwhirl

So, I always liked the design of these little guys, but they never seemed to pop out. Now, they sort of remind me of Pikmin, but back in the day I never bothered catching one. A lot of the grass Pokemon didn't appear until later on in the game, which is a shame because as you know I'm clearly interested in how they're designed. I was always into their little head plumage. I think that’s exactly why I like the design of Pikmin.

Question 30

Who is this?

Zubat
Ninetails
Paras
Parasect

Yet another example of the character designers really using the Grass-type Pokemon to reference the real world. You just look at this guy and know exactly what the deal is. You know what sort of moves they're going to learn, what the design is based on and the fact that it's a Grass-type. I never got a Parasect, because you could only really get them late on in the game, and by that time I'd already picked my main six.

Question 31

Who is this?

Clefable
Poliwhirl
Pikachu
Poliwag

I always really liked this guy and his various evolutions, although it always annoyed me that this guy was yet another Pokemon you had to trade to get the fully upgraded version. I've already paid for your game and your handheld console Nintendo. Do you really expect me to grovel to my mom and dad to get them to pay for yet another accessory that I will use once, just so I can have a slightly different variation of a bunch of pixels?

Question 32

Who is this?

Sandshrew
Sandslash
Clefable
Pikachu

These guys were pretty boring Pokemon all things considered. I remember never bothering with them back in the day because their design never grabbed me as much as the other Pokemon. You've only got six slots for active Pokemon that you want in your battles, so you've got to be careful with this stuff! It was hard enough leveling up six different Pokemon. Those kids that managed more always seemed insane to me. How do you keep your brain focused on that many things at once?

Question 33

Who is this?

Seaking
Staryu
Slowbro
Slowpoke

I think this might be one of the cutest Pokemon of all time. All he does is lie about with his mouth wide open and make funny noises. I don't know about you, but that is essentially my definition of a baby, and we can all agree that babies are cute. I think this Pokemon is a depiction of me when I'm struggling with a bad hangover, which is most of the time.

Question 34

Who is this?

Arcanine
Vulpix
Growlithe
Mankey

While I was never that into this guy as a child, I always really liked the evolution form, Ninetails. It was only as I grew up that I realized the name is actually a reference to a whip that was used to punish slaves and cause intense pain. Incredibly messed up, but makes for an interesting name at least! It also helps get across the physical prowess that the Pokemon has, if you're able to get the reference that is. I imagine most children didn't at the time...

Question 35

Who is this?

Weepinbell
Bellsprout
Machop
Abra

I always thought all of the Grass type Pokemon were the most inventive. They all felt like they had something to do with the real world, rather than just being a random mash-up of interesting looking ideas. If you look it up, there is actually a plant similar to this that lures animals into the hole, where they get stuck and are then turned into energy for the plant. Pretty amazing! Nature can get pretty brutal a lot of the time.